


They are silent now

by NightingalesAndHandGrenades (NightingalesAndLions)



Category: Midsomer Murders - All Media Types
Genre: Ben Jones is a DI now, F/F, F/M, M/M, Mentions of rape and murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-10-19 20:29:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10647498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightingalesAndLions/pseuds/NightingalesAndHandGrenades
Summary: When two teenagers are found dead in the forest and the trail leads back to Midsomer, Ben Jones doesn't need any more need to return to Causton CID and work another case with DCI John Barnaby and his new DS Winter. Midsomer county, as usual, houses secrets, lies and love.





	1. In the woods

**Author's Note:**

> Of course, I don't own anything of this!  
> This is simply an appreciation work for the show and the fandom.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

When Ben Jones dreamed about getting his promotion, he certainly never thought that somehow his work and his life will bring him back to Midsomer. Things, however, worked out differently. The promotion to a DI in Brighton came, but he felt torn between life in Midsomer and work. He goes to Brighton, but life drags him back to Midsomer, and so does his career.

It happened with the cricket investigation, and he admits rubbing the new DS of Barnaby’s the wrong way, but he has vowed that next time he definitely is going to call. He misses Barnaby, if he’s absolutely honest with himself. The new crew in Brighton is nice, but there is nothing like Midsomer. So he has promised himself and his old DCI that he is definitely going to call.

The next time it happens, there is a double murder he’s tasked to investigate. Two teenagers have been found dead in the woods. There are signs of rape on one of the victims. Young, blonde, beautiful, barely 18 years old. It’s kind of gruesome, and Ben can’t quite remember why the setting rings a bell.

He starts the investigation by looking up both victims, and once his search leads him to Midsomer, Ben knows that he needs to pick up the phone. 

‘’Jones, what a surprise!’’ John Barnaby sounds genuinely surprised to hear Ben’s voice on the other end, and it’s thrilling but slightly scary on the other hand.  
‘’Sir, I’ve got a murder I’d like you to give your opinion about. And both victims lived just outside Causton’’ – Ben says, wiping his sweaty palms against his trousers. He hasn’t felt this nervous since he was first offered a job in Midsomer.

‘’All right then, come up and we’ll see if we can help!’’ Barnaby is short and on point, and Ben hopes that this time is going to be a better one than the last one. Except there is nothing good about a murder.

He drives up the next day after packing a bag and grabbing all the evidence. There are nervous butterflies in his stomach. Midsomer is a lot of memories for DI Ben Jones. Some good, some – a little bitter. Many said and unsaid things live in Midsomer for him. 

The drive is mostly quiet with only news on the radio. Ben rather would listen to his own music, but because of the urgency of the trip, there is none of that, so he turns the radio off, and goes over the things he knows about the case so far. 

Both teens are just barely 18 years old. Madelaine Dahl and Alex Larssen. Both from the same boarding school in Midsomer, but Ben can’t quite figure out what they were doing in Brighton. There is simply not enough information as of yet, but his gut is pulling him back to Causton to dig for some answers.

Midsomer is just as he remembers, well, it hasn’t been that long. He’s been back and forth from Brighton to Causton to visit. More than once.

He hums to himself while pulling in the yard of the CID, and takes a deep breath before he actually dares to get out of the car and go in to find Barnaby.

‘’Ah, Jones,’’ John is polite and welcoming. They shake hands, and Ben resists the urge to linger. The DS Winter is looming around, but this time he does shake Ben’s hand.  
Barnaby seem to notice that, and Ben thinks there is approval in his eyes, but then again John Barnaby is a force of its own, and nobody really can read him except for Sarah.  
‘’So what do you have for us?’’ Yes, he is here for a case after a, isn’t he? Shaken out of this thoughts, Ben passes the case file to John, and waits till the older man looks through it with the trained eye.

It doesn’t take him long, and Ben waits. John passes the file to Winter who takes it to look it over, and John’s eyes are on Ben. Expecting, waiting. ‘Well, Inspector’ is looming just below the surface, so Ben does the only thing he can do – goes through what he already knows.

Both kids went to the same boarding school near Dunstan, most likely were classmates. None have relatives down in Brighton, and Ben doesn’t know why they ended up there, but he has the job of telling their parents. 

Both were stabbed multiple times, the toxicology report has come back positive for alcohol, but the level of it suggests only a beer or two. The rape kit has come back positive. There is no other evidence at the moment, but Brighton police are still searching while he is in Midsomer. 

‘’Bring in all the stuff you have on it, Jones. Let Winter lay it all out while you and I go talk to the parents’’ and just like that things are suddenly in motion. 

Winter doesn’t look pleased being stuck with the task of going through all the evidence Ben has brought with him, but one look from Barnaby shuts off all the possible protest from the young DS and Ben sends him a sympathetic smile. You don’t really argue with a Barnaby.

‘’Shall I drive, sir?’’ he asks when all the evidence has been carried in and left with the team.

‘’Sure thing, Ben. And it’s John now. You are no longer my Sergeant’’ he grins at Ben who, thankfully, has the capability not to start stuttering like a twelve year old girl in front of the CID.

He just shakes his head and gets behind the wheel. There is a familiarity with this. Him and Barnaby in a car going to see victim’s parents on a case. It feels somewhat safe, even if it is any of those things. They don’t talk much, but the drive is not long, and Ben quietly thanks heavens for that. He needs to concentrate, but it’s not as easy as he hoped it would be.

‘’The girl’s parents both trade and stable race horses, and her father is a lawyer’’ he finally says just to keep his mind occupied by the case. ‘’The boy’s mother used to teach art, but since her husband works as a lawyer as well, she has retired from that and now sips expensive wine in her rose garden’’.

''Any connection between both fathers?''

''They have a firm in London together''.

‘’Have you talked to the school yet?’’ Barnaby asks, not looking away from the road.

‘’Not yet, I was still waiting on the rest of the crime scene report to come through, and I figured that talking to the parents is a priority’’.

‘’I’ll ask Winter to make the call to the school. We can go there after we have talked to the parents. It’s on the way’’ Barnaby nods, taking out his phone and making the call.  
Ben listens to the conversation while they pull into the driveway of the home address of Madelaine Dahl. 

He stops the engine and unbuckles the seat belt just as John finishes his phone call. Nervous? Perhaps he is. Not every day you have to go and tell parents that their child has been found murdered.

‘’All right, Ben?’’ Barnaby’s voice cuts through his thoughts, and he blinks.

‘’Yes, yes. Nervous I guess. Never liked this part of the job,’’ his smile is apologetic, and John’s fingers rest on the nape of his neck briefly, reassuring, calming him down almost instantly. He wants to close his eyes and savour the moment, but it’s neither time nor place.

‘’You’ll be fine’’ and then the moment is gone.


	2. Of Lions and Lambs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It does feel like he never left, and like he's an intruder at the same time. He can't blame Winter for not really either liking or trusting him, but Jones hopes they will be able to solve the case before someone else dies.

They speak to both sets of parents, and then go to the school. It is a boarding school for rich kids whose parents not only live the high life, but also want to stash their offspring somewhere for the term. They are young, multi-national, and Ben finds them horrible. The stuck-up rich kids have never been his cup of tea, and he doesn’t flirt back when a tall, blonde senior student blatantly flirts with him. It just leaves a bad taste in Ben’s mouth.

‘’What do you make of this?’’ John asks after they say their goodbyes at the school, and Ben swallows a need of a drink.

‘’Well, Sir, rich kids, rich parents…privilege… if there is anything I have learned is that places like this...they house secrets, spin lies, and the dig to the truth is often like opening a can of worms’’ he says bitterly and starts the engine.

‘’Well, let’s go back to CID and see what we can piece together so far, and maybe Winter has dug something up’’.

They drive in silence. Ben wants to say so many things, but he doesn’t quite know how to start, and perhaps it is for the best. It has been a while since he’s had the time to drive t=up to Midsomer for a weekend away from Brighton’s lights and excitement. 

Piling together all the information is not too hard. They write it down, lay it out and then start digging. Winter now sits where Ben used to, so he occupies a chair not far from him and Barnaby, digging through material and looking for clues.

They find out that both teenagers used to go out with another group of people. The Brighton colleagues call with evidence and send over a file of a partially broken up 999 call that has been made from the mobile phone of Madelaine Dahl, but it takes two tries to understand what is being said.

‘’Did she make the call herself? Or did the killer suddenly felt remorse, and tried to call the emergency services?’’ Ben asks after listening to the recording again.  
‘’Winter, go see the parents, play them the record. See if they can identify the voice,’’ Barnaby says, and hands the younger man the address.

There is more digging to be done, and Ben returns to the laptop screen, which offers more questions than answers at this point. All of the youngsters are good students, come from money, and have no criminal record. 

If not for the school, they don’t seem to be connected at all. Attending the same classes is hardly a criminal offence, and Ben has to sigh in frustration. He knows it is only the first day, but somehow there is a sense of urgency about the case. Gut instinct, maybe? It has worked well for him before.

Barnaby’s phone rings, and Ben welcomes the distraction. He looks over the board where all the current knowledge about any of them is laid out in all its glory. He has nothing to add to it.

‘’Thanks, Winter, good work,’’ Barnaby says making Ben raise an eyebrow at his former boss. ‘’The voice on the recording is not young Miss Dahl. Her parents name it as one Eva Jensen, a classmate. Both girls were, supposedly close friends, spent a lot of time together. That’s why parents recognized the voice. Winter is on his way to talk to her step mother now’’.

‘’What is with names at this school?’’ Ben says before even thinking the sentence over.

‘’If you had read the file, Jones, you would have noticed that both sets of parents are from Denmark originally,’’ Barnaby says, but there is amusement in his voice rather than disappointment. ‘’They moved to Midsomer in early 70s and never left. There are couple more kids in their class with a Danish background, mostly children of ex-diplomats or people who travel frequently for work in London’’.

‘’Sorry, Sir, it’s been a long day’’ he says because that’s the only thing he can say.

He almost expects Barnaby to say something snarky or offer him advice on being a DI, but he doesn’t. Ben shrugs and turns back to the case. 

‘’Eva Jensen’s mother died in a car accident when the girl was ten, and she has been in the boarding school since she was fourteen and her father re-married,’’ he says, after digging out a file on the girl. ‘’She was picked up for drunk and disorderly, but the charges were dropped. Her father passed away two years ago. It was her birthday a week ago, so she just turned 19‘’.

‘’So this was her last year at school, they celebrate, drive down to Brighton to have some fun, maybe there is alcohol involved, ‘’ Barnaby guesses. His phone rings again. ‘’Ah, Winter, what have you got?’’

Ben needs coffee. He feels tired and mostly because he hasn’t slept enough, driven up here and now he feels as if he’s a stranger around here. It’s all in his head, he knows that. The rational part of his brain hasn’t totally turned off.

He looks at the board, trying to piece together whatever they know. It’s not much, but it’s something.

‘’Winter says that nobody at the school has seen Eva for a couple of days. Her step-mother doesn’t speak to her either. She says Eva was raped two years ago by her science teacher, and it changed her. Find if that rape is mentioned anywhere,’’ he says turning back to his conversation with Jamie.

So Ben digs. Medical files. He hates medical files. Besides talking to the parents it is probably his least favourite job. He eventually does find a rape charge and a dismissal. 

‘’Got it, sir!’’ he says, turning to John. ‘’Thomas Smith, now works in Causton of all places. Was accused of rape by Eva, prosecuted and dismissed from the boarding school. Served his time, but there is more, sir. There was another rape which happened in the woods not far from the school’’ he gets up to put another pin in the map.  
‘’Any suspects?’’ Barnaby asks, eyes narrowed in concentration.

‘’Yes, a Barry Jackson. He works as a mechanic these days. Got convicted of rape and murder, confessed, his lawyer helped him out big time, so he served some time, but was released earlier this year’’.

‘’Do we haven an address?’’

‘’He lives in Cooper Hill’’.

‘’So not that far away. Good work,’’ John says, clicking his pen off and getting up. ‘’We’ll go talk to him tomorrow. I’m hungry and you need hot food and sleep, you look as if you hadn’t had any in days. Where are you staying?’’

‘’I was going to find a room in the pub, Sir’’.

‘’Nonsense, we have a perfectly good spare room. Sarah is visiting her mother with Betty, so you can have a decent night’s sleep before they get back and you get to be the resident Godfather,’’ John says, gesturing for Ben to follow.

He feels a ghost of a hand on his lower back for just a second, and it grounds him. He does feel more tired now that his brain is allowed to shut off, and perhaps the idea of food is better than he originally thought.

Jones gets behind the wheel and follows John’s car. It’s familiar. He has done this a thousand times, but it also fees different for some reason. Not bad, just different. There is anticipation and nervousness, and butterflies flutter away in his stomach. Like a schoolboy. That makes him chuckle.

Ben leaves his car on the street so John can pull his out in the morning and grabs his overnight bag from the boot. The house hasn’t changed in the couple of weeks he hasn’t been here, and its inviting familiarity disintegrates last trembling and nerves he feels. 

Stepping over the threshold, Ben is greeted by the familiar smell of John’s house and Paddy. The little terrier is as excited as ever. He knows Ben brings treats.

‘’You spoil him, Benjamin,’’ John says from the kitchen and sometimes Ben thinks he does have sixth sense. No, he knows John does. Or he can read Ben’s mind. Or both. 

‘’That’s why he loves me,’’ Ben shoots back and gets out the promised treat which Paddy doesn’t turn down but carry through in the living room. Ben sets his bag down, takes off his coat and shoes and gets rid of his tie. 

Then he gets out the bottle of wine and walks through to the kitchen where John has gotten out the glasses and turned on the oven.

It’s always like this. He’d come over after work, John or Sarah would cook and Ben would either play with Betty and Paddy, or sit on a high bar stool, chatting to both of them having a beer or a glass of wine. It’s no different this time.

‘’Steak and ale pie all right with you?’’ John asks after he’s poured the wine and put the bottle in the fridge. 

‘’Sounds perfect. I think I could eat a horse at this point,’’ Ben confesses and takes a sip, allowing it to calm him down completely.

‘’They don’t feed you enough down in Brighton. You must take better care of yourself,’’ John remarks, putting the pie in the oven and turning back around to pick up a wine glass and clink it with Ben’s.

‘’Welcome home, Ben’’


	3. I Will Follow You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They find some answers. Are they linked? Where is Eva and what is her connection to the case?

Ben sleeps well, and when the alarm clock finally goes, he doesn’t want to smash it to bits and crawl back under covers. Small blessings. The shower in John’s house has perfect water pressure, but Ben abstains from singing this time. One slip-up was quite enough, thank you. He dresses quickly, but leaves the suit jacket off. It never felt really comfortable anyway. Instead he gets out his leather jacket, and chooses to go with that instead.

He doesn’t shave. No point, and a little bit of scruff won’t damage neither his looks nor his reputation.

John is downstairs and sipping coffee while going through the paper when Ben walks in. He points at the kettle, letting Ben know that it’s still hot, and Ben goes about making coffee and popping bread into the toaster. 

‘’Brighton got back to me with a full report,’’ he says while drumming his fingers on the counter top and waiting for the bread to pop back up.

‘’Too early for work, Benjamin,’’ John rumbles and doesn’t even look up from the newspaper.

That makes Ben chuckle and he settles down with coffee and toast. Paddy gets his bits too, and John kicks his leg under the table while shaking his head in amusement.  
Some sort of gardening program is on the radio, and Ben goes through his email on his phone while sipping coffee. It wakes him up completely. Paddy’s excited barking at the sound of a car approaching the house interrupts both men, but they share a smile, and Ben gets up to go open the door for Sarah.

They know it’s her. They recognize the sound of her car.

‘’Ben!’’ she sounds happy to see him, giving him a hug and kissing his cheek. ‘’John didn’t tell me you were coming up. When did you get here?’’

‘’Yesterday. I’m here on a case, so it’s not entirely a social visit, I’m afraid’’. 

‘’Well as long as you are staying at ours and can at least benefit from some real food, that’s fine by me,’’ she says and goes to get Betty out of her car seat.

‘’Hello, Betty-boo,’’ Ben greets hid Goddaughter who laughs when he takes her from Sarah’s arms and raises her above his head, spinning around. ‘’She still has the white bunny?’’ he asks, spotting the little toy among their belongings.

‘’Still loves it more than any other toy,’’ Sarah confirms and heads in.

‘’I’ll get your things, don’t worry,’’ Ben says after John has taken Betty from him and greeted his wife properly. 

There isn’t much to it, but he gives the two Barnabys a couple of minutes without him in the background. Ben has never considered himself an overly emotional man, but the amount of love in the Barnaby household sometimes makes him emotional. And he’s not even sorry it happens.

Winter calls soon after Sarah’s arrival, so there is no time for a long chat of catching up. Ben downs his coffee and puts the mug in the dishwasher, before grabbing his phone and his car keys. 

They drive separately. It’s more practical that way. It means Ben can go talk to the rapist while John goes to CID to find out what Winter has uncovered. The drive to Cooper Hill takes Ben through some of those most idyllic English country roads he loves so much. He wishes he was still driving the Mercedes convertible, since the day is perfect for that.

The garage in Cooper Hill is deserted if not for the man Ben assumes to be Barry Jackson.

‘’Mr. Jackson?’’ he asks, showing the man his badge.

‘’Yeah?’’ it doesn’t look like the conversation is going to be extremely long. Jackson doesn’t look interested in talking to Ben. 

‘’You were convicted of rape, Sir. We’re just re-visiting the circumstances’’

‘’I’ve done my time’’ it’s more of a growl than an answer. ‘’’It’s old news’’.

‘’Did you know the girl?’’ he presses further, testing out the limits of the conversation.

‘’I was drunk. She was pretty. In the woods not far from her school. We had a little fun’’.

‘’How did you afford the lawyer, Mr. Jackson? He doesn’t come cheap’’ Ben asks, pulling the facts from memory.

‘’My parents put their savings in, helped me out’’.

‘’And did you recover from that with the garage?’’

‘’I do online stock trading to do that. Now, if you have anything to prove, prove it. I’m done taking about yesterday’s news’’.

That eaves Ben nowhere, but he files the information away for later. Maybe the old crime scene photos are worth revisiting. There is something linking all of them together, but it’s just a hunch and Ben cannot quite place it. He is still missing chunks of information, and Brighton is supposed to send over whatever they have recovered down there.  
He drives back to Causton and pulls in the yard just to have Winter open the door and jump in to Ben’s surprise.

‘’Hey. Barnaby wants us to go and talk to the teacher,’’ he says.

‘’The one who raped Eva?’’ Ben asks, and Winter just nods. ‘’What is he doing?’’

But he does turn the car around and drive through Causton to find the school where the teacher currently works. 

‘’They have transported the bodies here. Kam is doing a secondary autopsy, comparing notes. Barnaby went to see her’’.

‘’Kam?’’

‘’Our pathologist’’.

‘’How long have you two been seeing each other?’’ he teases the other detective, and laughs out loud when Jamie blushes.

‘’How did you know?’’

‘’You might want to check the buttons of your shirt and the perfume is there too,’’ Jones points out the obvious.

‘’That could be anyone,’’ Jamie protests, but he doesn’t deny it.

‘’It’s your body language as well, mate. Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me’’ Ben assures Winter and stops the car in front of the school.

‘’It hasn’t been that long. We went to school in London together,’’ Winter offers, blush creeping in his cheeks.

Ben claps him on the back as they enter the school. Thomas Smith is just dismissing a science class. He looks genuinely surprised when they question him about the rape, but he denies it. The story makes Ben do a double take. It is a short conversation, and they leave with only a little more information that they arrived with.

‘’I don’t understand. Why would she do that?’’ Jamie asks once they are back in the car.

‘’We need to find Eva Jensen and ask her all kinds of questions, that’s for sure,’’ Ben nods and starts the car.

The further this case goes, the weirder it’s becoming. There is the big link in Eva which they are obviously missing, because if she can answer their questions, it would start piecing the puzzle together for him. At the moment they are all still pieces.

John is waiting for them when they finally arrive at the CID. He looks serious.

‘’Tell me things, gentlemen,’’ and his facial expression is grim.

‘’Well, the guy who raped the student in the woods says he could afford the fancy lawyer because of his parents. I asked tech to check, and he’s telling the truth, but…’’

‘’But you don’t believe he did it,’’ John asks and Ben shakes his head. ‘’No, I don’t. They perhaps used drugs together, but rape? No way’’. 

‘’I don’t think he did it either. His blood test showed that at the time he was high as a kite on cocaine, but the girl’s blood showed very small traces of alcohol and no traces of drugs’’.

‘’So she could have overpowered him easily and run. The state he was most likely in…’’

‘’Precisely. Winter, how did the talk with the teacher go?’’

‘’Well, he says Eva actually instigated sex with him and then accused him of rape,’’ Jamie says, sitting down at this desk.

‘’Why would she do that?’’ 

‘’That’s what we can’t figure out, Sir,’’ Ben adds. 

‘’Her step-mother said that Eva took her father’s death very badly, and that she was always very… extreme,’’ Winter says, looking over his notes once more.

‘’What did the coroner say?’’ Ben asks, turning to their board for a moment.

‘’Both kids have been beaten and the rape kit came back positive for one of them. The girl was also pregnant’’ John says, his expression grim.

Bens head whips around at that. A pregnancy is not something that occurred to him, not in the slightest. That might have been the variable that changed the faith for both teens.

‘’Okay, so, find Eva Jensen. Pull CCTV footage, last whereabouts, talk to anyone who has seen or talked to her. She is the key we need to find to start piercing together this thing’’ John says, picking up the phone and jumping right in the investigation once again.

That proves to be easier said and done. They don’t have time for lunch, and Ben feels his hands start to shake at some point when the sun has started to set behind the windows of CID. His head hurts, but he hasn’t really allowed himself a proper break. Reading case files, old and new reports, talking to people, calling his boss to inform about the progress.

They catch the first break when the Brighton police comes back with news. They have found the car that was no doubt used by the dead teens. It has been set on fire and then pushed into a pond, so processing is going to take time. 

‘’Thank you, thank you, no, that’s it,’’ Winter puts the phone down and lets out a deep sigh, which makes both Ben and John look his way.

‘’One of the cameras spotted a girl who could be Eva. The copper on duty also talked to a local prostitute called Mindy, and she confirmed that it was Eva. Apparently she has been on the streets for a couple of days now. I asked them to keep an eye out and bring her in if they find her’’.

‘’Good work, what do the old cases tell you, Jones?’’ Ben’s in need of more coffee, a nap or maybe both by this stage, but he swallows his annoyance, and turns to the board, pointing at the picture of the boarding school.

‘’All the kids in that school come from rich families with good connections. They have no trouble paying for a lawyer or pay people off to make them go away. Five years ago there was a drunk and disorderly case, and allegedly some of the kids beat up one of their classmates, but nothing definite was ever proven’’.

‘’So, parents or even kids themselves pay people off or use intimidation to make them go away, and in the meantime they get drunk and high and do whatever the hell they want,’’ Jamie doesn’t sound impressed.

‘’The uniforms are looking for her. I think that’s where we’ll stop for the day. Go back to the boarding school and talk to her friends and classmates one on one and not as a group again tomorrow. Go home, Winter, fresh head tomorrow, yes?’’ John says, and Jamie almost leaps up.

‘’Thanks, boss. Will do. See you tomorrow’’.

Ben waves goodbye, and then slumps in his chair. His headache has gotten worse now, and he’s sweating. He doesn’t even notice John getting up, and only opens his eyes when Barnaby is perching on the end of his desk, looking at him with intense gaze which used to make Ben squirm.

‘’How are you doing?’’

‘’I didn’t have lunch, my head hurts and I’m dizzy. Tired, but not sleepy,’’ Ben’s honest. He has always had problems hiding anything from John. He doesn’t want to hide anything from John.

‘’You go all head-achy when you don’t eat,’’ he says, brow furrowed. ‘’I think you are slightly hypoglycemic,’’ he gets up and goes over to Jamie’s desk where he finds a bar of chocolate in one of the drawers, opens it and hands it to Ben.

“I am,” he says, rubbing his eyes. “You might’ve noticed I’m terrible at managing it as well.” 

‘’Eat that and let’s get you home. I’ll call Sarah on the way. Leave your car, I’ll drive’’.

Ben manages to fall asleep on the way home. The chocolate bar has helped immensely, but he’s still tired and hungry when John gently shakes him awake and they have pulled in the driveway.

‘’Come on, we’re here, let’s not make the lady wait’’.

That makes Ben smile and he gets out of the car, not really feeling very steady on his feet. Thankfully, he gets to sit down not long after, and he offers Sarah a weak smile. She doesn’t look happy, but he has no strength to explain or even defend himself.

‘’Ben Jones, you know how bad it is when you don’t eat,’’ she says, her voice quiet, but stern.

‘’It’s been a long day, darling, leave the poor boy be,’’ John says, pouring all of them a glass of wine.

‘’Any luck?’’

‘’Not really. More questions than answers. Ben, eat an apple, please. Dinner is almost there’’.

He does. It brings colour back to his cheeks, and he sends both of his hosts a grateful smile. He has never been particularly good at managing his blood sugar, but cases like this make it worse. He forgets to eat, keep himself hydrated, and ends up like this. It’s not very hard to get caught up in a case, and forget all about the world around. Especially when the answers seem to be this close… and yet so far.

‘’You have to look after him better,’’ Sarah says nodding at Ben, who smiles at her.

‘’We just got caught up in it, Sa,’’ John does sound apologetic about it, and it is exactly that. Ben makes a mental note to pack an apple or two in the morning. 

‘’Well you are no good to anybody really if you cannot concentrate. And his blood sugar getting low makes is dangerous,’’ Sarah remarks.

‘’I’ll grab some fruit tomorrow, Sarah, don’t worry,’’ Ben eventually says after he has swallowed a couple bites of the lasagna they are having for dinner.

‘’I know you will, love, you have no choice,’’ she agrees, briefly touching his hand and smiling at him.

‘’I guess it just frustrates me when the answers are so close, but I can’t seem to figure them out,’’ he admits when they are clearing the table and John has taken their wine into the living room.

‘’Enough work. You’ll figure it out tomorrow. There is three of you after all,’’ Sarah assures him and winds her arms around his waist, while Ben finishes drying the last plate.

He puts it down and finally allows himself to hug her back, dropping a kiss in her hair. She means comfort and has always been very good at putting her foot down when it comes to ‘no talking about work after dinner if possible’ policy.

That’s why Ben loves her.


	4. Puzzle Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The detective trio seems to have found a vital piece of evidence, but now the most important thing is to prove it. Eva is yet to be found. Ben shares some news with John.

He’s restless. Sleep doesn’t seem to be his friend tonight, so Ben crawls out of the bed, puts on a pair of trackies and a t-shirt and goes downstairs. Thankfully the kettle doesn’t make a lot of noise as he makes coffee. It’s four in the morning, but Ben doesn’t really care.

He really wants a cigarette now, but he’s promised himself not to smoke while he’s at John and Sarah’s. He doesn’t really need it. It’s a nervousness habit he’s picked up from tough cases and training. He hasn’t told John about that yet, there hasn’t been enough time.

Ben opens the garden door and closes it quietly behind himself. It’s a chilly morning, but he welcomes the nip of the air. It wakes him up and washes all the tiredness away.  
‘’It’s four o’clock in the bloody morning, Benjamin,’’ John’s voice grabs Ben’s attention and he turns around with an apologetic smile.

‘’Sorry, I tried to be quiet. Did I wake you up?’’

‘’No, Betty was fussing, so I went to check on her, and the light was on downstairs, so it had to be you’’.

‘’Couldn’t really sleep’’.

‘’Don’t let them get at you like that, Ben. You’ll burn yourself out way too soon,’’ John says, stepping outside, wearing a robe and slippers. ‘’I know you care. You always have. Ever since I first met you’’.

‘’It’s been a trying couple of weeks,’’ Ben offers, after a sip of his coffee.

‘’Is that why you haven’t been up here and haven’t really called either?’’

‘’Yes. A lot of casework, and training’’.

John raises an eyebrow, and Ben laughs.

‘’Training for the Firearms. They want me to be able to fit in an ARV unit’’.

John’s facial expression has changed from slightly amused to dead serious. It’s evident even in the soft glow of the porch light, and Ben is not sure he looks pleased about the development either.

‘’I didn’t say anything, because I wasn’t yet completely sure it was going to happen, and there was never the right time or enough time to come up here….until now’’. 

‘’Ben, that’s… that’s dangerous’’ John finally says, his voice quiet and serious. ‘’I mean I’m sure you’ve seen your share of dangerous both here and down there, but it’s nothing compared to an ARV unit’’.

‘’I know’’.

‘’How do you feel about it?’’

‘’It’s pushing me to my limits. I guess in a way it feels good to be recognized, but I’m not sure I’m quite ready for that kind of a change completely’’ he admits, cradling the coffee cup in both arms, as if that would give him all the answers. ‘’I do enjoy being a DI’’.

‘’That explains all the muscle you’ve put on,’’ John remarks off-handed. ‘’Oh none of that,’’ he waves Ben’s surprised expression off. ‘’You’ve always been fit, I know that. This is just a different kind of it’’.

‘’More strength than stamina, yes’’ Ben shrugs.

‘’Well, I’m sure if Causton has an opening for another DI, you’ll be the first one be notified’’.

‘’You’re not thinking of leaving, are you?’’ 

‘’Not quite yet. There is another DI who has spoken about a change of pace for a while, but nothing’s definite. Put the paperwork in and we’ll see how you feel if she retires’’ John says and opens the door to gesture Ben back inside. 

‘’Come on, it’s way too early, and you need to go back to bed. I need to go back to bed for sure. Tell Sarah today, though’’.

They are just finishing breakfast a couple of hours later when the doorbell rings and Sarah lets Jamie in. He looks surprised to see Ben at the Barnaby table, but he seems to get over it quickly, because John’s attention is now focused on him instead of the paper he was reading a minute ago.

‘’What is it, Winter?’’

‘’There has been an incident at the boarding school, sir,’’ Jamie says in a rush. ‘’A student was attacked last night around 9 pm, sir. They just reported the incident’’.

‘’Attacked how exactly?’’

‘’He was hit over the head with a glass bottle, sir,’’ Winter says and takes out his phone to show both of them photos. 

The teenager or, young man, in the picture has sustained a clear head wound, but he looks otherwise unharmed.

‘’There’s more, sir. The attacker tore his shirt and left this written on his chest,’’ Winter scrolls to the next picture, which shows the attacked kid’s chest. A word is written on it in something that could be red paint, but it also could be blood.

‘’What does it say?’’

‘’Sunday’’.

Barnaby looks at Ben who clearly looks a bit confused, however, he knows that John’s brain is already working, and that his former boss is at least two steps in front of both him and Jamie.

‘’All right, Winter, go talk to the school and try to talk to the kid. I want to know if he has seen anything, if anybody else saw or heard anything, if there is CCTV footage, everything,’’ John says, getting up. ‘’Jones, we are going to talk to the classmates. See if anyone pops up’’.

‘’You have a theory,’’ Ben says once they climb into John’s car. ‘’I know that look’’.

‘’Nothing definite, just something I’ve thinking about’’.

‘’Care to share with the classroom?’’

‘’After we talk to everybody at the school, we’ll sit down’’.

The school is clearly buzzing with energy, even if it is nervous, borderline panicky. Winter heads off to talk to the teachers while Ben and John head off to talk to the classmates.  
One by one they question them all before moving on, not receiving any conclusive information.

Jamie is waiting for them at the Volvo.

‘’What is it?’’ Ben asks, because there clearly is something the DS wants to say.

‘’Spoke to the kid, and you won’t believe who it is’’ after John’s eyebrow rise, Winter goes on. ‘’Lucas Raske. He said it was Eva Jensen who attacked him, and that she apparently seemed absolutely crazy. His words not mine.’’

‘’So Eva attacks him and paints his chest and then runs away again? Sounds a little dodgy,’’ Ben says, but at this point nothing would surprise him anymore with this lot.

‘’One more thing,’’ Jamie lowers his voice so they cannot be overheard by the passing students. ‘’I spoke to another student. He didn’t want his name mentioned, and swore me to secrecy, but apparently Raske has a gang going. A bunch of his classmates, and get this, apparently our two dead kids used to run with this guy, drink, do drugs, you name it, but they were never caught, because anyone who ever said anything or saw more than they should ended up beat up or expelled from the school altogether’’. 

‘’Power and influence,’’ Ben says, deep in thought.

‘’Right, so we need to find Eva. If she is on some kind of drug, she is a danger to herself and others. Let’s go back to CID, see if there is more to this gang story than just hot air’’.  
Ben doesn’t know what to think anymore. Working with John Barnaby is the best and the most terrible thing in the world. It rewards you, but it keeps you on your toes constantly.  
They put up all the facts the school kids and the recent attack have given them, and Ben looks at the map now dotted with little pins. 

‘’Jones, remind me when were the two teenagers murdered down your way,’’ Barnaby says after a short conversation on the phone Ben hasn’t paid any attention to.

‘’Monday morning. A jogger discovered them in the woods’’.

‘’And they were left there on Sunday, correct?’’

‘’That’s what the autopsy and the crime techs said, yes. What are you thinking?’’

‘’I wasn’t sure, but now that young mister Raske has been attacked, it solidified my theory. There is an old photo in the school newspaper, did you see it?’’

Jamie pushes away papers and digs out the relevant file. It’s a class photo outside the school.

‘’Look closely at Eva Jensen’’.

Ben gets up to look at the file. It takes him a moment of careful observing which he hasn’t done of this photo yet, since it didn’t seem relevant at the start.

‘’She’s holding Raske’s hand,’’ he and Winter say at the same time, and then it hits Ben like a ton of bricks.

John notices the change in his demeanour, and there is a smile lingering just under the surface of his otherwise unchanged features. 

‘’So they were together’’ Ben concludes looking at the board once again.

‘’What does that have to do with anything?’’ Winter asks, looking at both men.

‘’Sunday, Winter. The word, miss Jensen painted on mister Raske’s chest. Think about it,’’ John says. ‘’They go to a boarding school where classes and activities take place from Monday to Saturday. Sunday is their only day off, but we have already established that these youngsters move through the school with quite a lot of freedom’’.

‘’So,’’ Ben joins in, ‘’they get drunk, do drugs, have sex. Sometimes to make things hotter, to spice things up, they go out and beat up other kids. There is most likely more…’’

‘’Now, what if our missing girl finds company, seeming love and acceptance in these other kids, especially Lucas. He’s good looking, rich, his parents have influence… so she is ready to do anything for him…’’

‘’But then something happens. After the alleged rape by the science teacher… something happens. So on Eva’s birthday celebration weekend, they drive down to Brighton to have  
some fun, and for some reason, Madelaine and Alex are murdered, and Eva, who has a change of heart, tries to call the police, but is interrupted and perhaps either drugged herself, or simply subdued and then brought back to Causton…’’

‘’That prostitute we talked to. She said Eva had a drug habit. She also said that she seemed out of it, like she was completely nuts,’’ Winter picks up the thread and runs with it. 

‘’So you think that there is maybe a love triangle, or something like that which sends them over the edge to kill two of their own…’’

‘’That I cannot answer, but if Eva is desperate for revenge, she’ll find a way how to strike again. She might not be quite coherent, but never doubt determination of young women, Winter’’.

Another realization dawns on Ben, and he shuffles through all of the materials they have about the kids. There is, surely, somewhere a piece of paper in his own handwriting which suddenly is quite important.

‘’The autopsy said that Madelaine was pregnant. What if Raske is the father?’’

‘’That would explain his anger towards the girl. Getting someone pregnant would certainly spoil his image and get him expelled. Hard to cover up even by very influential parents’’  
‘’Get a uniform to keep an eye on those kids. They might be in danger,’’ John says when the phone rings.

‘’Barnaby. Yes… where? Thank you, we’re on the way,’’ he puts the phone down, and looks at both of his companions.

‘’Mindy is dead. Overdose. Someone gave that poor girl a lot of drugs. Possibly an exchange for information,’’ he grabs his jacket and mentions for the other men to follow.

The poor girl is not Ben’s first overdose victim, but he still doesn’t feel great after seeing her. Kam is already there, looking grim.

‘’Who called it in?’’ Barnaby asks, after looking at the girl’s surroundings. It’s one of those young peoples’ assisted living facilities. 

‘’A neighbour who she used to do drugs with. She’s already at the station for drug charges, but look here,’’ Kam says and shows them girl’s fingernails. ‘’It looks like she has some sort of residue under her fingernails. I sent it to the lab for tests. My theory is, she scratched whoever did this to her’’.

‘’So she didn’t inject the drugs herself,’’ Jamie says.

‘’She maybe injected some, but the overdose happened later, so my guess is, someone helped her along. I’ll know more in a couple of hours’’.

‘’This case is just getting weirder and weirder,’’ Winters mutters, and Ben shoots him a dark look.

‘’I need to call my boss,’’ he eventually says and excuses himself to make a call.

It feels like atypical Midsomer case, the bodies have started to pile up, and the most important link is currently missing.


	5. The Quiet Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is just domestic fluff. I had to.   
> As always, I don't own anything and don't make any profit from this. This is just pure appreciation and love on my part, a little bit of keyboard clicking and copious amounts of tea.

When he gets back to John’s house that evening, Ben is exhausted. He has collected statements from everyone, had five phone calls with the Brighton colleagues, explained everything to his boss, extended his stay in Midsomer, organized days off and found a shooting range in the county.

Kam has determined that the COD of the prostitute is, indeed, overdose, but she has picked up a set of prints from the belt that was used on her leg where the injection was done, and they are being analysed.

He has written up the case report so far, and now he thinks he has almost a completely clear picture of what has happened.

There is still no sign of Eva, but he’s on speed dial for those looking, and he wants to keep his own eyes open for her. Unfortunately, at this point the girl’s prospects don’t look too rosy, and if they don’t find her, she won’t be able to testify in court either. Well, at this rate there isn’t going to be an actual court case.

He takes off his jacket and shoes, and goes to the kitchen for a wine, before he sits down in the living room and lets his head fall back at the back of the sofa. It would be good to solve the case right about now.

He hears the door open, no doubt either John or Sarah, but there is not enough energy in his bones to get up just yet. 

‘’Ah, Ben. Just the man I was looking for,’’ John says, dropping a kiss in Ben’s hair and rubbing the back of his neck. 

It’s soothing, and Ben hums, reaching up and pulling John down for a kiss. His lips are soft, warm and welcoming. It has been so easy between them. Ben comes up as often as he can, spends the weekends or whatever time he gets off. Sometimes he just watches Betty and Paddy to allow John and Sarah to go out. Sometimes they find a babysitter and a three go out. Most of the time, though, they stay in. It’s simple and it just works.

At some point when it first started, he tried to figure out what it meant or how it worked, sitting downstairs, drowning himself in a glass of whiskey. He remembers Sarah coming downstairs and sitting next to him until he started talking. He doesn’t even remember what he had said, but he remembers Sarah simply saying: ‘’Ben, whoever told you that matters of love and sex are straightforward black and white, was a pathetic liar’’. And just like that, he stopped questioning their relationship.

John strokes his cheek and kisses him again, still keeping it light. 

‘’ I promised to cook,’’ Ben eventually says, letting out a sigh, and taking John’s offered hand to stand up. 

‘’It can wait a minute. Come here,’’ John pulls him into a hug and Ben presses close. He buries his head in John’s neck and inhales the aftershave and the smell that is distinctively John Barnaby. ‘’It’s been a tough case, I know’’.

‘’Theoretically, it hasn’t been any tougher than any other case, really,’’ Ben mutters, but it doesn’t come out clearly, since his face is still buried in the safety of John’s neck.

‘’Except you are clearly exhausted’’.

‘’I’ve arranged to take time off once we’re done,’’ Ben defends, allowing his lips to ghost over John’s neck.

‘’Well, you know you’re welcome to stay as long as you like,’’ John reassures him, squeezing the nape of Ben’s neck affectionately.

They stay like that for a few more moments, until Paddy, who has clearly had enough of this, barks sitting next to his food bowl.

‘’All right then, you monster,’’ John says and it makes Ben laugh. 

He cooks Vietnamese food, while talking to John, drinks way too much wine, but at this point he doesn’t really care. It feels good to just do simple things and not think about murdered youngsters.

The house soon smells of all things delicious, and they are on their second bottle of wine when Sarah finally gets home, Betty fast asleep in her arms. She grins at both men and kisses her husband who takes the sleeping girls out of her arms to go and put her to bed. Ben drops a kiss on Betty’s head before John takes her upstairs.

‘’Good day?’’ he asks while pouring Sarah a glass of red.

‘’Yes, if you don’t count me wanting to kill some of the moms at Betty’s nursery,’’ she says, after taking off her shoes and jacket. 

‘’Don’t tell John that,’’ he grins and pushes her a glass.

‘’Oh, he’d agree,’’ Sarah winks and then goes around the island to greet him properly.

Sharing affection and intimacy has come so naturally for her. It’s been the same for Ben, but then again he always has been an affectionate person. There was once a time he thought that John Barnaby had no feelings, but he writes it down on disappointment of not being promoted at the time and Tom simply leaving out of blue. Now he knows better. They keep it to themselves, indoors and private, though, but Ben has no objection to that. Most people who live in Midsomer would never accept this kind of arrangement, not in a million years. Some of them still have trouble thinking about children born out of wedlock.

He hugs Sarah, and she leans up for a kiss, tasting of wine and smelling of fresh air and the perfume she uses. 

‘’I don’t know what you are making, but it smells divine,’’ she says after they break apart.

‘’Vietnamese chicken, stir fried pumpkin, some salad,’’ he offers and turns back to the pan to make sure nothing is actually burning. That would not go down well with neither of them.

‘’So, Ben is staying after we wrap the case up,’’ John says coming back into the kitchen and picking a spot next to Sarah on a high bar chair.

‘’That’s great! We could use a fresh face around here’’

‘’Hey, and what am I, a chopped liver?’’ there is no heat in John’s voice.

‘’Or you two can team up and go scare the annoying mothers at the nursery, so I don’t have to commit murder’’.

Their banter continues over dinner and mixes with actual catching up talking. Who’s gotten married in Midsomer, how’s Kate down in Brighton, John talks about his conversation with Tom and Joyce the other day, and Ben reveals the Winter is seeing Kam thing, which makes them all chuckle.

‘’He’s a good kid,’’ Ben says, clearing up after dinner.

‘’Smart too, just needs to shed the city attitude,’’ John agrees.

‘’He hasn’t asked yet, but I’ll seriously doubt his detective skills if he doesn’t’’.

‘’Well, good luck with that. I’m a pretty private man, DI Jones’’.

‘’Yes you are, sir. I’m not telling if he’s not asking. And if he does, I’ll direct him to you for the birds and the bees talk’’.

That earns him a slap with a towel, and Sarah has to cover her mouth to not burst out laughing and disturb Betty’s peace. Both of her men are so different and yet so similar. Most likely that is why they just clicked together that evening. It has been three years since they got together, and now she cannot imagine her life any different.

Ben was here for her pregnancy while John was working, and they spent hours watching crap telly and talking. He was there for John when she was too tired to pitch in on one thing or another. He was there for painting Betty’s nursery and putting together all the furniture.

She hasn’t even counted the nights Ben stayed up with Betty to give her parents more than just a couple of hours of sleep. He still does it if she fusses or has a nightmare. He has never not offered to sleep in the guest bedroom, and whenever he actually can stay longer than a weekend, he does it at least a couple of times. She remembers him sleeping on the floor in Betty’s nursery one particularly long night.

He has just been this other constant thing both she and John relies upon. Sarah silently guesses that all of his bad habits get left behind in Brighton where he might just be the most intolerable sod in the world. There are moments when she wants to slap him just for being obtuse, but other than that… it is actually pretty idyllic.

There is a worry that always looms around with their profession. And now Ben’s training has made it even more real. Sometimes the people of Midsomer county are pretty violent, but most often they are just odd and unhappy. However, Brighton is more realistic then is comes to actual police work. Not that it is as bad as, let’s say, the darker areas of Manchester or London, but it’s still a hub.


	6. Snakes in the grass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben has an encounter with Eva. Time is running out for the detectives.

He sleeps better that night. He thinks that maybe being in Midsomer for a few days has allowed his mind and body to relax a little bit. He doesn’t dream. Dreams are hard to come by, because most of the time his mind is so pre-occupied with things, if he dreams, it’s mostly nightmares. Not dreaming at all is much better.

They are used to sharing a bed by now, and both Ben and John usually allow Sarah to snuggle between them. It’s logistics. And it’s also the way which allows them to be close. Ben knows he needs to be able to touch both of them. If he wakes up in the middle of the night, sweating and panicky, he can just reach out and both his partners are right there. 

In Brighton, sometimes he wanders around at night and the only thing that can send him back to sleep is a whisky and an occasional night time call to Midsomer. John always picks up, he always listens. Ben always apologizes the next day, send flowers or a bottle of wine. Sarah never lets him apologize in person. For her, it doesn’t seem necessary. She just hands one of them Paddy’s lead and makes them go for a walk if John is not working and Ben is staying over. Sykes was used to it, now Paddy has gotten used to the same treatment.

At least he doesn’t snore.

Ben’s phone rings ungodly early. He wants to ignore it, but that is not an option, unfortunately.

‘’Are you going to answer that?’’ John asks, not even attempting to open his eyes and Ben groans.

‘’Jones,’’ he knows his voice is rough from sleep, but what he hears on the other end makes him sit up. The sleep is gone.

‘’What’s going on?’’ John looks wide awake and his eyes follow Ben as he gets out of the bed and gets dressed.

‘’They found the guy who killed the prostitute’’.

‘’Do you want me to come?’’ John sounds awake now.

‘’Not unless Winter calls you. I got to go, I’ll call you when I know more,’’ he says and leaves the room, shutting the door with a quiet click.

‘’You worry about him,’’ Sarah says, partially awake, and John leans in for a kiss.

‘’Of course I worry, but he can handle himself’’.

‘’We both now that and we both know that you will still worry because you can’t keep an eye on him’’.

‘’He’ll call if anything important happens. Go back to sleep, you have work in the morning, well…couple of hours’’.

She murmurs something and snuggles back into John’s arms. Ben will be fine, she’s sure of it. 

Ben’s mind is going a million miles an hour while he looks up the address the uniforms have given him.

The drive is not very long, and he stops the car when he spots the uniforms. The guy is very dead. Fallen from the balcony after a blow to the head. Ben searches him quickly while he’s waiting for the coroner. There is a school photo of Eva in his pocket. So he was looking for the girl and found the prostitute instead.

He looks through the room once more. It’s still dark outside, but something catches Ben’s eye. Or rather, out of the corner of his eye there’s movement in the shadows created by the street lamps. 

He follows his instinct and goes outside to look around. There is movement down the street, so Ben gets out his flashlight and follows the possible movement between two houses. 

‘’Eva!’’ 

His voice rings very loud to his own ears, but the figure turns around. She looks panicked, scared and completely out of it. Ben has learned to recognize the signs. He slows down his movements and hopes not to spook the girl further. Someone calls out his name and Ben turns around towards the voice out of instinct and that is the last thing he remembers.

There is a sharp pain in his head and everything goes black.

The world slowly returns to him and there is someone calling his name and shining a light in his eyes. It’s so bright it makes Ben squint, and the throbbing pain in his skull doesn’t help one bit. He feels dizzy and disorientated, and has no clue what happened.

‘’Stay completely still, DI Jones, ambulance is on its way,’’ but there is no point of telling him this, because his tongue is stuck to the root of his mouth and he just wants to shut his eyes. Just for a moment.

There’s sirens and he drifts in and out of consciousness all the way to the hospital. There are medics around, and they ask him questions that he doesn’t want to answer.

‘’What is your name, sir? Can you tell me your name?’’

‘’Ben…Ben Jones’’.

‘’Good, Ben, where are you from?’’

‘’Wales’’.

‘’What year is it?’’

‘’2017’’

‘’Who is your emergency contact?’’

‘’DCI John Barnaby’’

He drifts out of it and allows himself to swim in the black nothingness which swallows him and hugs him like a warm coat. He feels like floating, softly spoken voices reach him, but his eyes are too heavy to open.

‘’He’ll be out of it for a little bit, but other than a nasty bump on the head and a mild concussion… he will be absolutely fine and back on his feet tomorrow’’.

‘’Thank you, doctor’’.

‘’Just allow him to take it easy for a little bit. Monitor him, if the concussion doesn’t allow him to work, put him on leave’’.

He wants to open his eyes and sit up, but he feels so tired. Maybe a little nap would do him some good.

When Ben finally opens his eyes and manages to turn his head, John is sitting in a plastic hospital chair next to his bed. He looks tired and worried. Ben can hear Jamie’s voice in the corridor, obviously on the phone. He wants to say something, but John hushes him and offers Ben some water.

‘’You gave us quite a scare, Ben.’’ He finally says. ‘’The doctor says you’ll be fine, but you have quite a bump on the head’’.

‘’How…how do you know it was her?’’

‘’CCTV camera on the corner. Uniforms were more concerned about you than her, so she slipped away. We’re still looking for her’’.

‘’She was scared, John’’.

‘’I know’’.

‘’Sleep, Ben. I’ll be back in a couple of hours and we’ll see if we can move you out of here and get you home to rest’’.

He nods and smiles when John’s hand briefly squeezes his fingers.

‘’I love you,’’ he mouths silently and closes his eyes.

He doesn’t see John’s expression turning from loving to fierce as he walks out of Ben’s room and barks at Winter to follow him. They have to find the girl, fast. She’s escalating, and John fears that she is going to do something she will regret later.


	7. Time is Running out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He is really sick of people giving him a concussion. There is not much rest for the trio, because another kid is killed at the school and they have to act quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I don't own any of this.  
> Thank you for sticking with me through this... it has been a wild ride.   
> Kudos and comments are much appreciated.

Next time Ben wakes up he feels miles better. He’s still groggy, but the nausea is almost completely gone. Next time, he thinks, someone is going to give him a concussion, he’s not getting back into field straight after. He’s going to just rest and eat copious amounts of ice cream. Mint chocolate chip sounds lovely.  
‘’Don’t make a habit of this, please,’’ he turns the head to see Sarah sitting next to his bed. 

‘’Don’t plan to,’’ he answers, slowly sitting up and wincing from the pain.

‘’If you wanted to meet a young lady, you should have just gone dancing, you know,’’ Sarah teases and it breaks the awkwardness Ben feels.

‘’I’ll keep that in mind, boss,’’ Ben nods, and his eyes turn to the doctor who comes through the door.

‘’Mister Jones,’’ the doctor is cheerful. ‘’I’m glad to see you up and joking. I looked at your chart and besides a concussion which should slowly pass if you take it easy, you are fine. A few cuts and scrapes. This is not your first concussion I take it?’’

Ben shakes his head. There was the case of a revenge list. That was another heavy object to the head, except this time it was a girl.

‘’Well, I will prescribe you painkillers and let you g home. Take it easy for a few days and check in if you need. A nurse will be around with your paperwork,’’ Ben is grateful for that. He hates hospitals.

‘’I brought you some clean clothes,’’ Sarah sets the bag on his hospital bed. ‘’Now, are you going to be a good boy and come home with me or are you going to go to the office to annoy John and Jamie?’’

Ben mulls the answer over in his head. He should really go to the CID and get his head back in the game.

‘’I need to talk to John,’’ he says, the last night’s events slowly coming back to him.

The clues, the room, the investigation. He doesn’t know how desperate Eva is for revenge, but he has a pretty good idea what this revenge is about. Perhaps it’s the concussion, but his brain is clear from the cobwebs and confusion. He has an inkling that John knows too, but he has to compare notes before he can make any conclusions. And kids might be in danger.

‘’How about I take you home, we have dinner and when John comes home you can talk to him,’’ somehow Ben is sure that it’s not a suggestion. 

‘’Yes, ma’am!’’ 

He gets dressed slowly, fills the paperwork, and gets his prescription painkillers. It almost feels normal. 

John is home earlier than usual on a case. His face is grim, and Ben knows something is wrong.

Sarah’s gone to bed, but Ben is still up. He hears John’s car in the driveway and his key turning in the lock. John sets his briefcase down and sits down next to Ben. 

‘’I really wanted to allow you to take some time, at least a day. But there has been another murder,’’ he says.

‘’Who?’’

‘’One of the school kids. Was found this afternoon on the school grounds. Shot’’.

‘’Shot?’’

‘’Yes. With a hunting rifle. Ballistics are yet to conform it, but we’re quite sure it was a hunting rifle’’.

‘’Eva?’’ he asks, voice quiet.

‘I think so. There is no evidence yet, but they are still processing the scene and Winter is talking to the students’’.

‘’I should be out there with him. I kind of dragged you two into this,’’ John’s fingers close over his own, and he leans in for a kiss.

‘’There is nothing you can do tonight. He was wrapping up when I left. We need you back tomorrow, though. All hands on deck, I’m afraid. Are you well enough?’’

‘’Yeah, yeah, it’s just a concussion. I feel much better already after the painkillers’’.

‘’OK, I’ll take your word for it’’.

‘’Took you long enough,’’ he says, tone teasing, and John grins.

‘’There we go, that’s more like you’’.

‘’Sorry I’ve been kind of weirded out by this whole mess’’.

‘’We all have those cases, Ben. You, me, everyone who has ever been anyone in this trade’’.

Ben leans in for another kiss. It’s comforting, but comfort is not what he needs right now. He needs to feel normal. He doesn’t wat to be the porcelain doll, there has been enough of that.

‘’Come on,’’ John says, getting up and pulling Ben with him. ‘’Let’s go to bed’’.

He tells himself that he has made enough notes from the previous day, that there is nothing more he can achieve. Tomorrow. He hopes that tomorrow they can actually finish the case.

This time it is John’s phone ringing, and he reaches for it, not letting go of Ben. There is something special in a protective John Barnaby, and Ben doesn’t protest. Not often.

‘’Barnaby,’’ his voice is alert, and Ben envies him for that. He has never been a morning person. Especially not like this.

His brain slowly drifts back to sleep. The covers are warm and he wants to stay in bed. It sounds like a great idea. It doesn’t come true, though. John finishes his conversation and nuzzles the spot behind his ear, pressing a kiss to it.

‘’We have to get up. The crime scene reports are in and forensics are done,’’ he doesn’t quite make the move, though, so Ben turns his head to kiss John.  
The kiss starts out innocent, but it soon turns heated, waking Ben up completely. He’s aware of John’s morning erection pressing into his hip as well as his own. He wants to roll John over and show him why they should forget about the getting up part and just stay in bed. He wriggles around and wraps his fingers around John’s erection, catching his moan in a sloppy kiss.

It’s over too quickly for his liking, a couple of strokes and he comes with a strangled moan all over the place. There is no sophistication in this, but there is also no real time for it either. 

They shower, get dressed and leave for the CID. The tension is building between Ben’s shoulder blades, the closer they get. The focus is now back in the case.

The CID is not yet buzzing with officers, most night shifts doing this, that or the other, and there is certain enjoyment in this. Brighton police is always busy and loud with phones going off and people shouting after or at each other. The light doesn’t hurt his eyes, but Ben does take another painkiller.

‘’Morning,’’ he says, spotting Jamie next to the coffee machine in the kitchenette.

‘’Hey, Sir, ’the younger man says, pouring himself a cup. ‘’How’s the head?’’

‘’Don’t sir me. John’s sir, I’m just Ben,’’ he says, taking the offered mug with the hot familiar drink from Jamie’s hands. ‘’Thanks, I’ve had worse from a serious hangover. It’s probably the painkillers helping, though’’.

‘’At least the boss cannot stare at you with that disapproving face he does so well,’’ Jamie adds, and Ben grins.

Ben laughs at that as he digs out two more mugs and makes himself and John one. Both black, no sugar. He is aware if Jamie’s eyes following his movements, and he can almost hear the wheels turning in his brain.

‘’I heard that, Winter,’’ John says from the door. He nods thanks when Ben hands him the cup, and turns around to return to the case board.

‘’You know how he takes his coffee,’’ Jamie says nonchalantly.

‘’I worked with the man for quite some time,’’ Ben says, looking straight into Jamie’s eyes.

The younger detective looks like he’s going to say something, but they are both called upon and the sentence is left unsaid.

They look through all the case files, Ben tries to recall as many details as he can and writes them down in his report. He calls Brighton, informs his boss about the developments.

‘’You see it through, Jones. Whatever the outcome, we cannot afford this to be left unsolved,’’ his boss just says and that ends their conversation.

Jamie is on the phone, getting a worried crease between his brows and looking deep in though. 

Ben looks over the facts. He has done it seemingly a million times, but it feels like there is an urgency to this case. As if there was a giant hourglass sitting in the corner of this office, and the sand was slowly running out. If there is such a thing as sixth sense, Ben thinks this one is his. 

The evidence against Eva is mounting and Ben knows even if she didn’t do it alone, there is nothing they can do without her testimony and more evidence. He has his suspicions, but doesn’t voice them, since, once more, there is not enough evidence to support the claims. 

‘’Talk to me, gentlemen,’’ John says, looking at Jamie and then Ben. ‘’What do we know, what do we think’’.

‘’That was a local hospital. They got back to me finally. Apparently a girl matching Eva’s description was admitted as a Jane Doe with a severe bleeding. She was pregnant but miscarried. They removed the foetus, but the girl left the hospital before they could find out more,’’ the colour has drained from Jamie’s face. ‘’That was on Sunday’’.

‘’CCTV footage from the hospital?’’

‘’Nothing. Not even a car parked outside of the hospital, but there’s more sir’’.

They both look at Jamie, who swallows before continuing.

‘’Autopsy results came back from the pathologist and both girl were pregnant from the same guy’’.

‘’No DNA match in the database?’’

‘’No, but the DNA suggest siblings on both foetuses’’.

Ben is on his feet before John has even said anything, but he doesn’t stop him, because both he and Jamie are following.

‘’I need back up at the boarding school. Armed response’’ John barks in his phone.

Ben is in the car, backs out and just drives. He’s aware that John and Winter are following in the other car as well as the armed response team, but his mind is now narrowed itself down to a very thin line. 

He can’t read Eva’s mind, and there is not enough supporting evidence. His gut instinct is now very clear of the way things panned out before the two teenagers were found in the forest near Brighton and he got involved.

This case for DI Ben Jones has become one of those he will engrave on his skin and leave it there as a memory of how evil stalks its prey before closing its haws on it. There is no doubt in his mind now, and he is ready to fight tooth and nail to prove it. Even if it is going to cost him dearly. 

Thankfully, the country lanes are clear of cars, because Ben is ignoring the speed limit. There is only one place where she would go now. A place he has been to only once during this investigation, but it makes sense in his mind. Because there is only one person this desperate girl wants to punish more than she wants to punish herself. 

She has lost her child, and it is a traumatic experience without all the rest, so her rage and desperation cannot be pushed aside. 

He puts his foot down and makes a turn towards the school.


	8. Burn, burn, burn!

He hears the breaks screech but he knows that John and Jamie are right behind him. The boarding school is a maze or rooms and corridors, but Ben knows from the interviews and the additional information Jamie was able to wriggle out of the students, that if they want to hang out the teachers not knowing anything about it, they would sneak off to the old barn.

Once upon a time when this boarding school owned a piece of land and had horses and farmers who worked the fields, several barns and stables were built for the horses and equipment. The horse stables have moved up closer to the school, but some of the old ones are still standing. 

The kids Jamie was able to talk to had confirmed that most of the ‘cool kids’ went there for secret gatherings and to hang out. Ben has no doubt that all the evidence of drugs and alcohol would be there. Because the land now belongs to the county, nobody really checks it, since there is not enough funding. Private farmers don’t want anything to do with the school these days because of the views and the way they have been treated by the school kids in the past. 

Ben doesn’t have time for that kind of attitude on a good day. He has grown even less patient with it in the last couple of years.

He grinds to a halt at the barn door, which is slightly ajar, and opens it wider to be able to go in. 

He only manages to make a few steps before the strong odour of petrol hits his nose and any other sensation. There is a lonely light and Ben finds a haystack to hide himself behind. Eva is there, he can hear her voice, so he risks peering over the haystack to figure out what is going on. 

He looks behind him, trying to hear the tell-tale signs of back-up, but they are not quite there yet. 

The scene in front of him could belong in an action film. Eva is there, but it’s clear even from several feet away that she is definitely in need of some serious help. Ben has seen enough of these cases to recognize the signs of mania.

The other thing he notices is the person she is talking to. No, talking is not really the right word, it’s more of an unintelligible mumble. He looks again and strains his vision to take in the scene completely.

There are two people on the ground, and Ben thinks they must be bound somehow, because one of them seems almost unconscious. He hates guessing, it never gets him any answers. 

One of the figures says something to Eva, and she points a gun at him. A gun which Ben hadn’t seen before. Where has she gotten it? It is illegal to own a gun in England, so it must have belonged to someone else, since Evan has clearly not the owner. He decides to take his chance, and hopes that backup is going to be there in the next thirty seconds.  
Deep breath, Jones, deep breath. He exhales slowly and stands up completely.

‘’Eva,’’ Ben’s voice rings out, starting the girl, but catching her attention.

He slowly moves closer, but tries to show her that he means no harm. The two people on the ground couldn’t be much older than Eva herself. Ben takes a closer look and one of them is undoubtedly – Lucas Raske. He has a head wound which is bleeding, but doesn’t look life threatening. Ben doesn’t recognize the other young man straight away.  
He doesn’t quite know what he’s trying to achieve, but the gun in Eva’s hand is definitely something he needs to focus on. 

He thinks he hears John and Jamie, but his world has narrowed itself down to the current moment, and he is now 100% focused on Eva. Ben’s brain hasn’t quite put 2 and 2 together, but he is sure, that it will kick in as soon as he will get to take the gun away from the girl.

What do they teach you? 

Calm voice, keep the tone soothing, slow movements. Don’t startle the suspect, give them plenty of space. Use backup. 

He doesn’t turn his head to look, but he can almost feel John’s eyes on him along with Jamie’s.

He has no choice now. The only way is the way forward. He puts his world in reverse and concentrates on Eva again. 

‘’Eva… put down the gun,’’ Ben says in the same calming voice, taking a step closer, but she violently shakes her head.

‘’We know what he did,’’ Ben hears John say and prays that this isn’t going to send the girl over the board. 

Of course he trusts John, he knows how good John is at this, but Eva is not herself at this point. She is unpredictable and scared, and so very angry. Wouldn’t he be in her shoes? She has lost everything because she fell in love with the wrong person. It wasn’t her fault that her young lover couldn’t cope with reality of life. 

How many times has Ben been in love like that? No, he really hasn’t. Not like this. His love has belonged to few chosen people over the years, and now it belongs to a particular Detective Inspector, who is right behind him, assessing the situation and doing damage control as slowly as the sand goes through an hourglass.

He continues to talk to Eva, trying to calm the girl, telling Lucas to shut up, since nothing but accusations are flowing from his mouth. At some point Eva seems to break down and puts the gun down, seemingly curling up on herself. Ben takes a tentative spot forward. 

If he gets the gun and the girl under control, they can arrest all of them end perhaps even get a confession out of the guys. 

Unfortunately, the Lady Luck is not on their side. Ben stops as soon as Eva takes a lighter out of her pocket. Or maybe it has been in her other hand all the time. Ben doesn’t know, and he’s trying not to let the panic creep up his spine.

‘’Jones, step back,’’ he hears John’s voice and he has to obey. He is still trying to talk to the girl, but because now Lucas has piped up and is almost taunting her, Ben doesn’t think there is going to be a positive outcome. He takes another step back, listening to his own blood running through his veins faster than it has happened in a long time.

Ben thinks he can suddenly hear his great-grandmother's voice from so long ago. When he was just a little boy, she used to tell him stories, even when she couldn't see much anymore. But she always had something wise to say in a language he doesn't speak. Maybe he could have learned, but now it's too late. This time... this time the words flood through his system as if he had known them his whole life.

_I mewn drwy un glust ac allan drwy'r llall_

He should have listened to John and not taken this case so personally, but when there's kids involved, Ben can no longer do that. His second case in Brighton had been a very bad and disturbing one. He hasn't told John about it. Now, when time has slowed down so that seconds seem like hours, Ben suddenly thinks that he should have let it go. He should have let it be a professional matter. There is danger in the air. It burns his lungs and he blinks several times. Those moments when life seem to flash before your eyes? You don't have to be on your death bed to have this experience. 

Raske lurches forward to tackle Eva to the ground, but even in her state of mind she is quicker and the young man howls in distress from the lighter that is suddenly in his face in all its burning power, and Ben knows at that point.

They have to get out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mewn drwy un glust ac allan drwy'r llall.
> 
> English equivalent: Advice most needed are the least heeded  
> Paczolay, Gyula (1997). European Proverbs in 55 languages. p. 179


	9. Where do we go from here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “If there is anywhere on earth a lover of God who is always kept safe, I know nothing of it, for it was not shown to me. But this was shown: that in falling and rising again we are always kept in that same precious love.”  
> ― Julian of Norwich

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it. I think this is it for our favourite trio. Let me think what you think - comments appreciated.

There is faint ringing in Ben’s ears when the adrenaline dies down. He can hear sirens of the ambulance and the fire department and for a second his brain wonders if his ex-girlfriend is going to be among the attending officers, but that thought process is interrupted by John’s arms sneaking around his frame and pulling him into a hug.  
He quickly squeezes him back, before looking around. 

‘’You need to be checked over,’’ John insists and Ben doesn’t argue.

‘’Jamie OK?’’ he asks, sitting down at the back of an ambulance and allowing a paramedic to shine light into his eyes. 

‘’Yeah, he’s being checked out too,’’ John says before turning to the barn.

They managed to get out on time before the building went up in flames. Dry leftover hay in a combination with petrol and then the spark has turned the old barn into a blazing torch against the sky. 

Ben doesn’t know how much time has passed, his time perception gone haywire. He gladly accepts the bottle of water a paramedic pushes into his hand, and the water soothes his lungs. There is some smoke residue, but nothing too serious. He looks around and spots Jamie receiving the same treatment.

‘’Have you been checked over?’’ he finally asks, looking up at John who nods.

‘’I think you’ve been in shock for the last ten minutes’’.

‘’I think so. My perception seemed to be gone, so it was definitely something’’.

He offers Jamie a small smile when the young man shrugs off the orange paramedic blanket and comes over.

‘’You guys all right?’’ his voice is quiet and Ben realizes that all three of them will be coming down from the adrenaline high pretty soon.  
‘’We’re fine,’’ he says and John nods in agreement, excusing himself to go and talk to the fire officers.

‘’That was great, but let’s not do it again, eh?’’ Jamie manages a joke and Ben grins.

‘’I agree. John would skin me alive if I made a habit of this,’’ he waves his hand in the direction of the building.

It is now a smoking, charred memory of the building they saw first arriving on the scene. Ben feels kind of hollow. He doesn’t allow himself to be sad, it would be too much. There will be no mourners in Eva’s funeral. He doesn’t care much about the young men in there. They had seemingly sealed the deal with the fate long time ago. He thinks of them as wasted lives. 

He feels an oncoming headache and prays to every god he knows that they are not going back to the office. He doesn’t think there is enough energy in his body at the moment. The adrenaline had him well stocked, but now it has left Ben’s system, also leaving his blood sugar too low, and he thinks some food would be good right about now.

‘’There’s nothing we can do about this at the moment,’’ Barnaby says, returning to both of his companions. ‘’Firefighters need to get the bodies out and then demolish what’s left of this place. It’s structurally too unstable for any of us to go in, and if I’m not mistaken, there will not be much left of the kids…’’

He gives Jamie’s shoulder a brief squeeze.

‘’Will you take my car to the CID? I think Ben needs his pain meds. Come to ours afterwards though, I think drinks are in order’’.

Ben offers Jamie a smile, but there is tightness around his eyes and he feels a little shaky. John’s hand is warm and steady on the small of his back, and they don’t talk on the way home. At some point Ben reaches over and gives John’s knee a gentle squeeze in gratitude. 

The house smells of food and Ben nearly groans stepping over the threshold. He does happily accept the cold beer John pushes his way after Ben has shaken off his jacket and taken off his shoes.

He snacks on a pear, and John keeps silent, dropping a kiss on his head, muttering something about changing. 

Beer and pears could be his new favourite combination, Ben thinks and it makes him laugh. He feels better though and when Sarah comes downstairs with Betty, he’s ready to take her out of Sarah’s arms and bounce her in his lap.

Sarah kisses him on the cheek and turns the temperature up on the oven. They don’t talk until John comes downstairs, now dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. 

‘’Winter is coming over at some point tonight. I texted him and asked to bring wine’’.

‘’He’s a good sergeant,’’ Ben says even though they have touched the subject before. He likes Jamie and hopes he stays in Midsomer long enough. 

He passes Betty to John and accepts a kiss from the other man. It’s just past one when the doorbell rings and John winks. 

‘’Do you want me to put Betty down for a nap?’’ Ben asks when John goes to answer the door, and Sarah is still busy putting together food.

It’s their little routine, Ben thinks. On Sarah’s days off she has Betty home, and when Ben is in Causton, they will do things like this – share the childminding duties and the cooking, and of John can he gets out of work to come home and spend an hour with them.

‘’Could you? I think she’s pretty much out already, so that should be a piece of cake,’’ She smiles at the pair, and Ben manages to steal a kiss before John and Jamie walk in.  
He comes downstairs to the three of them bringing the plates and food outside, and allows his hand to briefly rest around Jamie’s shoulders. The younger man still doesn’t ask, but there seems to be new understanding in his mannerisms and voice, and John seems to have gained another level of fondness towards his sergeant. Well, the best friends are sometimes forged in the heat of battle.

They settle for comfortable chit-chat, drinks and food. None of them are in a hurry. Jamie bids his farewell when the sun is starting to go down, and his taxi is there. Another day in the office tomorrow, but Ben feels comfortable and quite cosy, so he doesn’t get up. His headache is gone, and that is a blessing, since Ben has never fancied mixing painkillers with alcohol. And he could do with another glass of wine.

Tomorrow there will be a debriefing, he’ll write a report, call his boss, and send over all the details, and the use the leave he’s saved up. He wants to take John and Sarah out, it’s been too long since all three of them have actually gone on a date. This seems like the perfect time to do it.

He thinks about Eva and Lucas, their unborn child, and how destructive their lives have been. They will have to speak to the parents and the school, but that will have to wait till all the reports and evidence has been dealt with. Ben doesn’t need to be present for that, so he can easily just sit back and take a breath. He officially still has the concussion… well, perhaps alcohol on a concussion is not a good idea either. Too late for that thought now anyway, so when John refills Ben’s glass, he doesn’t object.

‘’I’m just glad you’re ok,’’ John says, sitting in a chair next to Ben.

‘’We’re all ok,’’ Ben agrees. ‘’ It could have ended nastier than it did’’.

John nods. There could have been shots fired and police officers injured. The armed response couldn’t have done much about that, since they had been a few minutes behind them. But they are all here, all in one piece, and John can’t help himself but send a prayer to the one upstairs. The sad part is, there is a trail of dead teens whose lives were just starting out. Destructive, cruel, but not impossible to change.

‘’We should go out tomorrow,’’ Ben finally says, sipping his drink. ‘’All three of us. It’s been a while’’.

John smiles and catches Ben’s fingers with his own. Sarah joins them after Betty has been put to bed and they sit in a comfortable silence for a while.  
“The greatest honour we can give Almighty God is to live gladly because of the knowledge of his love,’’ Ben eventually says.

‘’Julian of Norwich,’’ Sarah thinks out lout and Ben nods.

‘’Seemed appropriate. All’s well in the world for at least five minutes’’.

That earns him smiles from his other halves and another glass of wine. And it’s true. For tonight all is well in the world. He will think about tomorrow… tomorrow.


End file.
